Peace, Equality, and Social Justice: The Constant Mission of Dennis Clark

Abstract

Peace, Equality, and Social Justice:The Constant Mission of Dennis Clark James M. Bergquist Acomplex figure in Philadelphia twentieth century life, Dennis Clark (1927-1993) played many roles in the city's urban history. Over the course of forty-five years he was an urban activist and proponent of social justice, particularly in the field of race relations; an advocate for the Irish both in Philadelphia and in Ireland; an academic scholar in the field of ethnic studies; a teacher in several area universities; an author of a number of books and many articles; a president of the Ethnic Studies Association of Philadelphia; a trustee of the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies; executive director of the Fels Fund, a charitable foundation; and, not least, a devoted family man.1 Equally diverse were his intellectual interests, in literature, philosophy, theology, history, and sociology; he also took pleasure in visits to the opera, enjoyed camping in state parks, and followed Philadelphia politics closely. It is probably an understatement to say that Clark was a multifaceted person, and that many people knew him in different ways and from different perspectives and perhaps had different evaluations of his work. But to recognize his complexity is not to accuse him of being a person torn apart by conflicts or contradictions about his own identity or mission in life; that would constitute an injustice against the memory of a dedicated activist and intellectual. Such an interpretation is that of Eugene J. Halus, Jr., in his 2009 article "The Difficult Ethnic and Religious Mind of Dennis Clark."2 Halus asserts that the truest view of Clark's personality can be found in the diary which he kept over forty-five years, beginning when he was still a student at St. Joseph's College and ending shortly before his death in 1993. According to Halus, Dennis Clark was a "tragic [End Page 117] figure," beset by numerous contradictions and conflicts which he was unable to resolve.3 Another reading of the same diary,4 along with a review of many of Clark's writings, reveals a different personality: a very involved activist and scholar quite steadfast in his purposes and confident of his own identity. Like any normal human being he suffered setbacks and disappointments, and worried about his inability to achieve all the goals he set out for himself. But these were not conflicts about his ideals or purpose in life. Halus argued that Clark was fraught with serious contradictions and never developed "one definitive and coherent world view"; he "could not reconcile his internal contradictions even though Clark himself wrote about these things in his diary."5 These assertions, however, seem to be supported neither by the diary nor by any other clear evidence. Halus's misinterpretation of Clark's outlook is perhaps best exemplified in one of his closing references to the Clark diary: "By the early 1980s Clark described himself as 'an incoherent, socialist, anarchist, democrat.'"6 This is a classic example of citing a source out of context. The original passage in the diary says something different: "Jan. 16, 1982 "We were up till 2 AM last night at Murray Friedman's yelling and fighting about his right wing politics. I am an incoherent socialist, anarchist, democrat."7 Murray Friedman was the long-time regional director of the American Jewish Committee. He was a Jewish "neoconservative" whose ideology had moved steadily to the right from the 1960s to the 1980s. The two men retained a friendship to the end of Clark's life, despite their ideological differences. Those who knew both men will understand implicitly that Clark was quoting an accusation thrown at him by Friedman. Additionally, a few days later Clark entered in his diary what was obviously a refutation of Friedman's accusation: Discontented with political conversations I've had recently, I tried to refine some of my premises. These are basically social and underlying views of government. 1. We are responsible for others re the individualist 'Each man is responsible for himself.' 2. The simple life is best vs. expansionist economics and hectic consumerism. 3. Waste is to be fought. [End Page 118] 4. Poison is to be fought vs...